Santa Cruz police chief hoping to fully staff force in a year

SANTA CRUZ -- Police Chief Kevin Vogel has a new year's resolution: Get his department fully staffed within a year.

After recent retirements and resignations, the Santa Cruz Police Department has seven vacant positions for sworn officers out of 94 budgeted positions. Vogel said there are 53 people ready to interview, but because they would be new officers, they have to pass the police academy and subsequent training before hitting the streets on their own -- a process that can take a year.

If there is a strong applicant pool, Vogel plans to ask city leaders for permission to hire more than seven people. There are more retirements expected soon within the $22 million department, which has struggled to find qualified candidates and also has two openings on its six-member team of unarmed community service officers.

After a year that saw a record number of calls for service -- 105,000 -- and rising concerns about drugs, vandalism and violence, police are eager to be fully staffed, something that hasn't happened in several years.

"It's just forcing our officers to work harder," said Vogel, who took the department's helm in 2010 -- a year in which voters approved a utility tax increase for public safety spending.

Until the jobs get filled, the city will continue to rely on First Alarm security guards to supplement police patrols downtown and in parks and beach areas. The city paid First Alarm $403,000 last year, whereas the cost of seven new police officers would approach $1 million.

Private guards cost $22 per hour and $5 more per hour if they use a vehicle while working. By comparison, a first-year police officer earns $32 per hour and up to $48 at top step after seven years, though benefits increase the cost substantially.

Using some of the salary savings from open positions, Vogel has assigned guards to patrol Harvey West Park, the San Lorenzo River levee and the Cowell Beach and Municipal Wharf areas, where citizens have documented drug dens and illegal campsites. He also increased overtime for patrol officers, including dedicating one to patrol Cowell's, the wharf and West Cliff Drive six hours each day.

But Vogel cautioned that drug use, transience and other social ills fueling needles, trash and camping around town require intervention beyond the reach of police.

"The PD is not in a position to arrest problems away," Vogel said. "This is bigger than the PD."

Mayor Hilary Bryant said she would support Vogel's request to hire more than the budgeted number of officers as insurance against a lack of qualified recruits. She also said City Hall will continue working with neighborhoods, social service providers and other groups to improve safety.

"People invest a lot to live in this community," she said. "They have the right to expect that they are going to be safe living here."